Pope says Ireland right to be outraged by abuses
DUBLIN — Pope Francis said Saturday that the “failure of ecclesiastical authorities” to address sexual abuse has “rightly given rise to outrage,” his first acknowledgment during his trip to Ireland of the traumas here that have radically diminished the Roman Catholic clergy’s once-towering authority.
In an address at Dublin Castle, Francis described the “repellent crimes” and the failure to deal with them as “a source of pain and shame for the Catholic community.” But he did not discuss concrete changes in laws or transparency or address the question of the Vatican’s complicity in the abuse cases.
“I cannot fail to acknowledge the grave scandal caused in Ireland by the abuse of young people by members of the church charged with responsibility for their protection and education,” Francis told a room filled with members of the Irish government, other lawmakers and diplomats.
Francis is visiting Ireland for the World Meeting of Families, a once-every-three-years gathering intended by the Vatican to strengthen family bonds. But his trip is being dominated by the issue of sexual abuse — both the decades-long legacy of churchlinked crimes in Ireland and a string of recent bruising revelations about priests and prelates across the world.
The Vatican said Saturday that Francis also met for 90 minutes with a group of eight survivors who had experienced abuse in a range of church-run institutions. It did not release details about the meeting.